The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™ Launches! It's about damn time. I still have a p/review to write up, but I just don't have the time to be grumpy as of late.
What irks me most about this press release is that Turbine once again overstates Lord of the Rings Online with the quote: "The Most Anticipated MMO of the Year Now Available".
First the bullshit ONE MILLION BETA TESTERS spam e-mail and now this. Turbine needs a reality check.
NOTE: I am sick of the damn ™ in The Lord of the Rings Online™: Shadows of Angmar™
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
100,000
Sometime last night, this blog's odometer rolled over the 100,000 unique visitors mark. Not bad for a mere two years of blogging. I had originally hoped to reach this milestone by the end of my first year, but I learned a few lessons along the way that slowed the pace.
Lesson 1: Spamming blog links on forums earns you a bad name, but it brings in the hits. It is a great tool for pissing off a few people; not that I would ever want to do that. In a vain attempt at recognition, I spammed away early on, but I think I've grown up a bit since then.
Lesson 2: Slashdot and Digg hits are great for the visitor count and for lengthy comment sections. However, they really open my opinions -- that I most likely posted while half asleep -- to criticism from the Internet at large. The average Internet user doesn't understand that an opinion is a person's own belief in something, and that it doesn't change just because someone has a different one.
Lesson 3: It is return visitors, and consistent comment leavers, that make me sleep better at night.
So, a big THANK YOU to everyone that has helped make this blog what it is... which I'm sure we'll figure out sometime soon.
Lesson 1: Spamming blog links on forums earns you a bad name, but it brings in the hits. It is a great tool for pissing off a few people; not that I would ever want to do that. In a vain attempt at recognition, I spammed away early on, but I think I've grown up a bit since then.
Lesson 2: Slashdot and Digg hits are great for the visitor count and for lengthy comment sections. However, they really open my opinions -- that I most likely posted while half asleep -- to criticism from the Internet at large. The average Internet user doesn't understand that an opinion is a person's own belief in something, and that it doesn't change just because someone has a different one.
Lesson 3: It is return visitors, and consistent comment leavers, that make me sleep better at night.
So, a big THANK YOU to everyone that has helped make this blog what it is... which I'm sure we'll figure out sometime soon.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Friday, April 20, 2007
SOE Poised to Purchase Vanguard?
As I mentioned yesterday, something's afoot! SOE has been in the news as of late, so I figure they probably have something else in the works. What could it be though? A new game? Another complete rebuilding of Star Wars Galaxies? A purchase of IGE? A new acquisition?
The evidence points towards the latter: a new acquisition. SOE is definitely ramping up it's business operations globally. They have recently modified the Station Exchange service. Plus, SOE is certainly not afraid to snatch up flailing, on the verge of death MMOGs, like The Matrix Online. Also, they have shown the ability to keep low-population games going. For example, Planetside.
It just so happens that Vanguard: Saga of Heroes isn't doing very well, as evidenced by this in depth population analysis on Silky Venom. SOE has already financially bailed Sigil out, allowing them to launch the game. SOE currently is Vanguard's publisher. Over at EQ2Flames.com players can even "help SOE make a business decision." LFG, EQ2Flames.com admin, has the rumor on the down low that SOE plans to purchase Vanguard from Sigil.
Vanguard, as Sigil's flagship, determines whether Sigil remains a financially viable company. Now is the time to sell, before rock bottom is hit. The facts just don't look good for Vanguard. There has been a sort of mass exodus as of late. Server merges are most likely in the works. I hear it is really (and I mean really) hard to find a group on most servers. Speed hacking seems to be running rampant. Vanguard is being trashed.
And who better to save it, again, than SOE. SOE wants to be the big player in this market, and whatever number of b-rate, down and out MMORPGs it takes to get there is more than worth the price of admission.
The evidence points towards the latter: a new acquisition. SOE is definitely ramping up it's business operations globally. They have recently modified the Station Exchange service. Plus, SOE is certainly not afraid to snatch up flailing, on the verge of death MMOGs, like The Matrix Online. Also, they have shown the ability to keep low-population games going. For example, Planetside.
It just so happens that Vanguard: Saga of Heroes isn't doing very well, as evidenced by this in depth population analysis on Silky Venom. SOE has already financially bailed Sigil out, allowing them to launch the game. SOE currently is Vanguard's publisher. Over at EQ2Flames.com players can even "help SOE make a business decision." LFG, EQ2Flames.com admin, has the rumor on the down low that SOE plans to purchase Vanguard from Sigil.
Vanguard, as Sigil's flagship, determines whether Sigil remains a financially viable company. Now is the time to sell, before rock bottom is hit. The facts just don't look good for Vanguard. There has been a sort of mass exodus as of late. Server merges are most likely in the works. I hear it is really (and I mean really) hard to find a group on most servers. Speed hacking seems to be running rampant. Vanguard is being trashed.
And who better to save it, again, than SOE. SOE wants to be the big player in this market, and whatever number of b-rate, down and out MMORPGs it takes to get there is more than worth the price of admission.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Something's Afoot!
Have you ever had the feeling that something interesting is going on, but you just can't see it yet? Or, that there is a party you weren't invited to? Well, that is the feeling I am having right now. There is something afoot, but I don't know what it is. I know who it may involve, but I am unsure of what it may involve.
Perplexing cryptic riddles aside, I will put my journalistic prowess to the test and uncover this mystery at once. To the mother f'n bat mobile!
Perplexing cryptic riddles aside, I will put my journalistic prowess to the test and uncover this mystery at once. To the mother f'n bat mobile!
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